Aqueous slurries useful for cleaning the tongue and throat and methods related thereto

ABSTRACT

Aqueous slurries, capable of cleaning the tongue and throat of a patient when used by an individual for personal hygiene or used on another warm-blooded animal, combine finely-divided charcoal, water, and a biocide. Also disclosed are methods for cleaning areas of the tongue and throat in need thereof. The methods use the disclosed aqueous slurries, as well as apparatus, devices, and tools for contacting the areas to be cleaned with the aqueous slurry and for removing unwanted material from the areas cleaned, as well as from the oral cavity, generally. The disclosed methods can be safely practiced for personal oral hygiene, or on another. Further, kits are disclosed that are useful for such cleaning in providing a contained quantity of a disclosed aqueous slurry or contained quantities of the components thereof, as well as apparatus, devices and tools for effectively preparing and using the same for the above purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/293,913, filed Nov. 12, 2002, now allowed, which application isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to compositions and methodsuseful for oral hygiene, and more particularly to compositions andmethods that are useful for cleaning the tongue and throat of awarm-blooded animal, including a human.

2. Description of the Related Art

Practicing good oral hygiene is often directed to, for example,preventing tooth decay and periodontal disease (i.e., gum disease);preventing or mitigating halitosis (i.e., fetid breath); avoidingunsightly teeth, gums and tongue; and avoiding the onset of variousillnesses and other diseases that may take hold in the mouth and throat.Practicing good oral hygiene largely amounts to thoroughly andassiduously removing from the mouth and throat various contaminants,including pathogens such as bacteria and viruses; food debris; andstains found therein.

Contaminants, such as bacteria and food matter may be found on allsurfaces in the mouth. Areas that are particularly problematic in thisregard include the areas between tooth enamel and gingival, or gumtissue (i.e., gingival crevices), interproximal tooth surfaces, thetongue, and the throat. Some of the bacteria is present in the form of aclear (almost invisible) sticky film having an organized structure andreferred to as dental plaque (“plaque”), which adheres to toothsurfaces, gum tissues and the tongue. Plaque must be mechanicallyremoved, and this is usually accomplished by brushing and flossing.

Despite normal diligence in removal of plaque, some amount of bacteriaand plaque inevitably remains. In turn, calculus (also referred to astartar) inevitably forms, thus, compounding the problem. It has beenreported that 92% of Americans have a significant accumulation ofcalculus in their mouths. The result is tooth decay, periodontal diseaseand halitosis. It should also be noted that there are other deleteriousconsequences associated with the presence of viruses and bacteria in themouth and throat. These include heart and blood vessel diseaseassociated with bacteria entering the bloodstream and damaging heartmuscle tissue and promoting blood clots, respiratory disease caused bybacteria ending up in airways, and colds and flues caused by virusesthat take hold in mouth and throat areas.

Without question, a significant contributing factor in the above problemis the widespread belief, even by those who strive to practice good oralhygiene, that normal diligence in removing contaminants, such as foodmatter, bacteria and plaque, from the mouth amounts to thoroughlybrushing teeth twice a day and proper flossing daily. Cleaning thetongue or throat is often omitted.

Yet, there appears to be ample evidence that effectively cleaning thetongue, for example, is an important component of oral hygiene. Thefilliform on the tongue surface readily capture food debris andbacteria. The captured food debris and normal mucous production yields acoating on the tongue surface. This, in turn, provides, particularly inthe posterior area of the tongue dorsum, an aneorobic environment forvarious gram negative anaerobic bacteria, including: A.actinomycetemcomitans, B. forsythus, T. denticola, P. intermedia, and P.gingivalis. These bacteria are also found at the back of the throat, asare viruses.

Such bacteria are reported to be the primary source of gaseous volatilesulfur-bearing compounds that contribute to halitosis and themineral-leaching acids that cause tooth decay. In one study, it wasreported that the combination of tooth brushing and tongue cleaningreduced fetid breath by 85%, while the reduction realized by tonguecleaning alone was 75% and from tooth brushing alone was 25%. Further,such bacteria are a significant source of the plaque and calculus foundon tooth surfaces and in gingival crevices, and associated periodontaldisease. This is largely the result of their thriving in the anaerobicenvironment provided by the tongue, then swarming to those areas, thusreducing the effectivity of extensive teeth and gum cleaning.

In summary, effective tongue and throat cleaning is beneficial inavoiding tooth decay and periodontal disease; fetid breath; heart,vessel and respiratory disease; as well as other illness and diseasesthat can take hold in the mouth, particularly in the throat. Otherbenefits of tongue cleaning include improving the appearance of thetongue (less coating) and of the teeth and gums (generally, less plaqueand calculus resulting from contamination of the tongue); and improvingthe ability to taste and appreciate food by providing a cleaner palate.

Current methods for cleaning the tongue include brushing with aconventional toothbrush and toothpaste or water, typically whilebrushing teeth. Another method is to scrape the tongue surface. A numberof plastic and metal tongue scrapers are commercially available. Yetanother method is to rinse the mouth with a mouthrinse, alone or incombination with conventional brushing or scraping. Typically, throatcleaning is carried out by gargling or spraying the area with saltwateror a commercially-available mouthrinse.

The latter often may comprise alcohol and/or another bacteriostatic orbacteriocidal agent such as zinc gluconate, zinc chloride, triclosan,chlorine dioxide, or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). CPC is a quaternaryammonium compound that has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against anumber of oral bacteria. Mouthrinses can act to clear the throat area ofpathogens and debris by directly flushing away the same, by indirectlyflushing away the same through stimulating the flow of saliva in themouth, or by killing, and/or arresting the reproduction of, pathogens inthe throat area. In addition, cleaning other areas of the oral cavity,as described previously, also helps to clean the throat.

The above-described methods are of limited effectiveness, however.Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for compositions andmethods related thereto for cleaning the tongue and throat that are moreeffective than those currently used. The present invention fulfillsthese needs and provides further related advantages.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In brief, the present invention, in one aspect, is directed to aqueousslurries useful for cleaning the tongue and throat of a warm-bloodedanimal, including a human (“patient”), to remove contaminants, such aspathogens and other debris, therefrom. Toward that end, the disclosedaqueous slurries are applied to surface areas of the tongue and throatin need thereof. In another aspect, the present invention is directed tomethods for cleaning the tongue and throat of a patient. The methodscomprise contacting areas thereof in need of cleaning with a disclosedaqueous slurry. The present invention, in yet another aspect, isdirected to kits that provide readily used components for cleaning thetongue and throat of a patient by way of the disclosed methods andaqueous slurries.

More specifically, in one embodiment, the present invention is directedto aqueous slurries, useful for cleaning the tongue and throat of apatient, wherein the slurries are formed by combining finely-dividedcharcoal and a liquid portion, the latter comprising water and abiocide. Such slurries are effective in cleaning areas of the tongue andthroat of a patient in need thereof.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to methods forcleaning the tongue of a patient to at least reduce the contaminationthereof. A representative method comprises: contacting an area of thetongue surface in need thereof with a disclosed aqueous slurry so as tocontact contamination thereon for a period of time; removing at least aportion of the contacted contamination and used aqueous slurry from thearea of the tongue surface; optionally, repeating the contacting andremoving steps so as to effect a desired degree of cleaning; and,optionally, removing residual amounts of the aqueous slurry,finely-divided charcoal, liquid portion, and/or contacted contaminationfrom the tongue, as well as generally from the oral cavity of thepatient. For the disclosed method, the aqueous slurry used may be formedfrom the finely-divided charcoal and liquid portion prior to contactingthe area of the tongue surface with the slurry, or after separatelycontacting the area of the tongue surface with the finely-dividedcharcoal and liquid portion.

In a related embodiment, the present invention is directed to a methodfor cleaning the throat of a patient to at least reduce contaminationthereof. The disclosed, representative method therefor comprises thesame basic steps as the above-described, representative method forcleaning the tongue of a patient, except that areas of the throat,rather than of the tongue, in need thereof are contacted with adisclosed aqueous slurry.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to yet anotheraspect thereof, namely, a kit that is useful for cleaning the tongueand/or throat of a patient to reduce contamination thereof, in providingcomponents that can be readily combined and used for that purpose. Morespecifically, a representative, disclosed kit comprises: a containedquantity of a disclosed aqueous slurry, or a contained quantity offinely-divided charcoal and, separate therefrom, a contained quantity ofthe liquid portion, or of the components of the liquid portion of theslurry; optionally, a mixing device adapted to mix the finely-dividedcharcoal and the liquid portion to form the aqueous slurry; optionally,where the contained quantity of finely-divided charcoal and thecontained quantity of the liquid portion, or of the components of theliquid portion, are provided separately, an empty container adapted toprovide a reservoir for combining and mixing the quantities of theliquid portion, or components thereof, and of the finely-dividedcharcoal in desired ratios; optionally, a first contacting deviceadapted to effect contact of an area of the tongue and/or throat surfacewith the aqueous slurry and; optionally, a second contacting deviceadapted to agitatively and frictionally contact the area of the tonguesurface with the aqueous slurry; optionally, a removal device adapted toremove the contacted contamination and used aqueous slurry from the areaof the tongue surface; and, optionally, a device and/or rinsing agentadapted to remove residual aqueous slurry, components of the liquidportion, finely-divided charcoal and/or contacted contamination from thetongue, throat and other areas of the oral cavity of the patient.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be evident uponreference to the following detailed description of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As mentioned above, the present invention, in one aspect, is directed toaqueous slurries useful for cleaning the tongue and/or throat of apatient to reduce contamination thereof. As used herein, the term“contamination” or “contaminant” generally refers to any unwanted matterpresent on the surface of the tongue and/or throat of a patient. Thematter may or may not be strongly adherent thereto, and may or may notpenetrate the surface. Examples of such matter include, but are notlimited to, pathogens and microorganisms, such as parasites, bacteria,plaque, viruses, fungi, yeasts, molds and slimes; excreted products ofat least some of the same; food debris; food and chemical stains;various products of food decay; and mixtures comprising theaforementioned matter and naturally secreted substances, such as mucousand chemical salts, including calcium carbonate and phosphate. Oneexample of such a mixture is tartar, or calculus. Some of theabove-mentioned contaminants are discussed in more detail in theinventor's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/223,060, incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

The disclosed aqueous slurries may be used by an individual human(hereinafter, “individual” or “patient”) without the assistance ofanother for personal oral hygiene purposes: or may be used by anindividual on another warm-blooded animal, including an individual(hereinafter, a “subject”) to clean the tongue and throat thereof.

As used herein, the phrase “to clean” refers, as one example, toremoving or reducing, or causing the removal or reduction of,contamination present on the surface of the tongue and/or throat of apatient. The phrase, as another example, also refers to arresting orinhibiting the growth and/or reproduction of pathogens present thereon,and, as yet another example, also refers to neutralizing, or otherwisechemically altering, contamination present thereon in the sense ofeliminating or reducing the ability of the contamination to cause harm,damage, or injury to the patient, or otherwise create an unwanted ordisadvantageous condition for the patient.

In one embodiment, the disclosed aqueous slurry is formed by combiningfinely-divided charcoal and a liquid portion, where the liquid portioncomprises a biocide. As used herein, the expression “finely-dividedcharcoal” also refers to powdered charcoal, finely-divided or powderedcarbon, or activated charcoal—all of which are hereinafter referred toby the term “charcoal.” As is known to those skilled in the art,charcoal is typically black in color and derived from carbonaceousmaterials such as wood, peat and coconut shells to yield an odorless,tasteless form of carbon that is safe for consumption by humans andother mammals.

Uses include neutralizing drugs and poisons; providing intestinal gasrelief; preventing intestinal infections; purifying air, water,foodstuffs, chemicals and pharmaceuticals; and cleaning surfaces,including tooth surfaces. Activated charcoal is an amorphous form ofcarbon, characterized by high adsorptivity for many gases, vapors andcolloidal solids. It is activated by heating to 800-900° C. with steamor carbon dioxide. This results in a porous internal structure(honeycomb-like). In one embodiment of the present invention directed toan aqueous slurry, the finely-divided charcoal is activated charcoalpowder.

Charcoal products are readily commercially available. Some examples ofproducts that are particularly suitable for the present invention arethe charcoal products manufactured and sold by Norit Americas Inc.(Atlanta, Ga.) and designated as Norit®A Supra, Norit®B Supra, andNorit®E Supra. The latter products comprise carbon particles, 97% (byweight) of which are less than 150 microns in diameter. Various sizes ofcarbon particles can be used. Generally desirable, are particle sizesthat allow the carbon particles to become suspended in the liquidportion of the slurry, and that allow the carbon particles to bemechanically or fluidly transported to and away from all tongue andthroat surfaces, including those not readily accessible in general. Forthe aqueous slurries disclosed herein, the ratio of the finely-dividedcharcoal to the liquid portion thereof may vary and, in one embodiment,ranges from about 1:5 to about 1:1 by weight.

Also, as used herein, the term “biocide” refers to a substance thatkills, or inhibits the growth or reproduction of, at least somepathogens and/or microorganisms, examples of which are listed above. Asnoted, disclosed aqueous slurries comprise a liquid portion, that, inturn, comprises water and the biocide. The biocide may be soluble orinsoluble in water. Where it is insoluble, the biocide may be dispersedin the water as an emulsion or dispersion by methods known to thoseskilled in the art.

In a related, more specific embodiment, the liquid portion of theaqueous slurry comprises a biocide selected from chlorine dioxide, cetylpyridinium (CPC), zinc chloride, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or amixture thereof. All of these biocides are commercially available. CPCis a bacteriostatic compound that, more specifically, is a quaternaryammonium compound having antimicrobial activity against a number ofbacteria found in the oral cavity of a patient. It is a component of anumber of commercially-available mouthrinses. Chlorine dioxide is astrong oxidizing agent that is an effective biocide, even at lowconcentrations. Triclosan is a chlorophenol that is highlybacteriostatic and used in commercial products to, for example, stop badbreath. Zinc chloride can inhibit the reproduction of bacterial cells isalso found in some commercial products used for oral hygiene.

In another related embodiment, the biocide is selected from alcohol,hydrogen peroxide, or a mixture thereof; and in yet another relatedembodiment, the biocide is alcohol. Typically, where the biocide isalcohol, the liquid portion is a miscible mixture of water and alcohol.Such mixtures, of which “rubbing alcohol” is one example, are eithercommercially available, or readily prepared from water and variousalcohols, as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art. A fewexamples of alcohols that can be used are methanol, ethanol andpropanol, including isopropyl alcohol. Various concentrations of alcoholin water may be used. In a related, more specific embodiment, theconcentration of the alcohol in the liquid portion ranges from about 25%to about 70%, by volume.

In a further, more particular related embodiment, the alcohol isprovided by a commercially available mouthrinse, that, in a yet moreparticular related embodiment, is selected from Listerine®(Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare, Morris Plains, N.J.), Scope®(Proctor& Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio), Plax® (Pfizer, Inc., New York,N.Y.), Act® (Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, N.J.) and Cepacol® (J.B.Williams Company, Inc., Glen Rock, N.J.). As used herein, the term“mouthrinse” is synonomous with the term “mouthwash.” For certainrelated embodiments of the aqueous slurry, a commercially availablemouthrinse, such as one of those listed above (typically aqueous), Iscombined and mixed with a quantity of charcoal to form the aqueousslurry.

Various relative amounts of mouthrinse and finely-divided charcoal maybe used. Also, the mouthrinse may be used in preparing an aqueous slurrywhen in a concentrated form, as purchased off the shelf, or after beingdiluted with water.

The present invention, in another related embodiment, is directed to anaqueous slurry comprising a liquid portion and finely-divided charcoal,wherein the liquid portion comprises water and a biocide provided byhydrogen peroxide. Aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide are preparedby methods well known in the art and are used for bleaching, oxidizing,deodorizing, and disinfecting. When the concentration of the hydrogenperoxide in the aqueous solution is at least about 3% by weight, thesolution is used medicinally as a disinfectant, for example, to cleansewounds. Such solutions are readily available as a commercial product. Inyet another related embodiment, the biocide is a mixture of alcohol andhydrogen peroxide.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method forcleaning the tongue of a patient to at least reduce the contaminationthereof. A representative method comprises: contacting an area of thetongue surface in need thereof with a disclosed aqueous slurry so as tocontact contamination present thereon for a period of time; removing atleast a portion of the contacted contamination and used aqueous slurryfrom the area of the tongue surface; optionally, repeating thecontacting and removing steps so as to effect a desired degree ofcleaning; and, optionally, removing residual amounts of the aqueousslurry, finely-divided charcoal, liquid portion, and/or contactedcontamination from the tongue, as well as generally from the oral cavityof the patient. For the disclosed method, the aqueous slurry used may beformed from the finely-divided charcoal and liquid portion prior tocontacting the area of the tongue surface with the slurry, or afterseparately contacting the area of the tongue surface with thefinely-divided charcoal and liquid portion.

In related embodiments, the area of the tongue surface is contacted witha disclosed aqueous slurry in an agitative and/or frictional fashion;and using a length of floss, a brush, a pick, a cotton-tipped pick, acotton swab, a finger, the upper teeth of the patient, a tongue scraper,or a combination thereof. For example, a quantity of a disclosed aqueousslurry is first applied to the area of the tongue surface. In oneembodiment, this is accomplished by introducing a desired quantity ofaqueous slurry into the oral cavity and swishing it therearound. In aspecific, related embodiment, the desired quantity of aqueous slurry isintroduced into the oral cavity by ejecting it thereinto using a sprayor squeeze bottle. Then, for example, the area of the tongue surface maybe rubbed or scraped for a period of time using at least one of theabove-listed instruments. As more specific examples, the tongue surface,having a quantity of aqueous slurry applied thereto, may be rubbed witha cotton swab, brushed with a toothbrush, or scraped by drawing back andforth across it a length of floss, the upper teeth, or a tongue scraper.A number of tongue scrapers are commercially available.

In other related embodiments, application of a desired quantity of adisclosed aqueous slurry to the area of the tongue surface isaccomplished by using an application means, such as a finger, a brush, acotton-tipped pick, or a cotton swab, where a quantity of the slurry istransferred to the application means and then transferred therefrom tothe tongue. This can be repeated until a total desired quantity istransferred to the tongue. For example, a toothbrush or cotton swab canbe dipped into a container of aqueous slurry and then brushed or rubbedagainst the tongue. This can be done repeatedly.

For the above-disclosed method, the aqueous slurry is typically formedprior to being introduced into the oral cavity. However, this need notbe the case. The slurry can be formed in the oral cavity. For example,as disclosed in one embodiment, a quantity of finely-divided charcoalmay be introduced into the oral cavity using, for example, a spoon; thena quantity of the liquid portion can be introduced into the oral cavityusing, for example, methods described above. The aqueous slurry can thenby formed by swishing the liquid portion about the mouth to combine thesame with the finely-divided charcoal therein.

In another related embodiment, removing at least a portion of thecontacted contamination and used aqueous slurry from the area of thetongue surface is accomplished by brushing, scraping, rubbing, or byusing a combination thereof. At least one instrument is used thereforand includes those described above for agitative and/or frictionalcontact. However, the use thereof for a removal step would typicallydiffer from the use thereof for a contacting step. For example, for aremoval step, brushing would typically be carried out in one direction,that being away from the back and toward the front of the tongue, asopposed to using a back and forth or circular motion. Also, in aparticular embodiment, the at least one instrument used for thebrushing, scraping, rubbing, or combination thereof, has applied to atleast a portion of its surface to be placed into contact with the areaof the tongue surface, a quantity of the liquid portion of the aqueousslurry, the aqueous slurry, another liquid, toothpaste, or thefinely-divided charcoal.

In anther specific, related embodiment, the removal of at least aportion of the contacted contamination and used aqueous slurry from thearea of the tongue surface is carried out by rinsing with a liquid, byaspirating with a vacuum, or by using a combination thereof. Theoptional removal of residual amounts of the aqueous slurry,finely-divided charcoal, liquid portion, and/or contacted contaminationfrom the tongue, as well as generally from the oral cavity of thepatient, in one specific embodiment, is accomplished by rinsing,brushing, or using a combination thereof.

In another, but related aspect, the present invention is directed to amethod for cleaning the throat of a patient to at least reduce thecontamination thereof. Paralleling the disclosed, representative methodfor cleaning the tongue of a patient, a representative method forcleaning the throat comprises: contacting an area of the throat surfacein need thereof with a disclosed aqueous slurry so as to contactcontamination present thereon for a period of time; removing at least aportion of the contacted contamination and used aqueous slurry from thearea of the tongue surface; optionally, repeating the contacting andremoving steps so as to effect a desired degree of cleaning; and,optionally, removing residual amounts of the aqueous slurry,finely-divided charcoal, liquid portion, and/or contacted contaminationfrom the throat, as well as generally from the oral cavity of thepatient. For the disclosed method, the aqueous slurry used may be formedfrom the finely-divided charcoal and liquid portion prior to contactingthe area of the throat surface with the slurry, or after separatelycontacting the area of the throat surface with the finely-dividedcharcoal and liquid portion.

In one related embodiment, the area of the throat surface is contactedwith a disclosed aqueous slurry by introducing a desired quantity of theaqueous slurry into the oral cavity and gargling therewith. In anotherrelated embodiment, the liquid portion and finely-divided charcoalcomponents of a disclosed aqueous slurry can be introduced into the oralcavity separately and mixed therein to form the slurry by, for example,using facial muscles and the tongue to swish the components therearound.Then, the area of the throat surface is contacted as before with theaqueous slurry by gargling. In yet another related embodiment, the areaof the throat surface is contacted with a disclosed aqueous slurry byspraying a desired quantity of the same directly onto the area.

Typically, removing contacted contamination and used aqueous slurry fromthe area of the throat surface is accomplished by gargling or directspraying onto the surface with additional aqueous slurry or some otherliquid, such as a commercially available mouthrinse or saltwater. Asimilar technique may be used to remove residual amounts of used aqueousslurry, finely-divided charcoal, liquid portion and/or contactedcontamination from the throat, as well as generally from the oralcavity.

Finally, in another aspect, the present invention is directed to a kitthat is useful for cleaning the tongue and/or throat of a patient toreduce contamination thereof. As noted, the disclosed kit providescomponents that can be readily combined and used for that purpose. Morespecifically, a representative, disclosed kit comprises: a containedquantity of a disclosed aqueous slurry, or a contained quantity offinely-divided charcoal and, separate therefrom, a contained quantity ofthe liquid portion, or of the components of the liquid portion of theslurry; optionally, a mixing device adapted to mix the finely-dividedcharcoal and the liquid portion to form the aqueous slurry; optionally,where the contained quantity of finely-divided charcoal and thecontained quantity of the liquid portion, or of the components of theliquid portion, are provided separately, an empty container adapted toprovide a reservoir for combining and mixing the quantities of theliquid portion, or components thereof, and of the finely-dividedcharcoal in desired ratios; optionally, a first contacting deviceadapted to effect contact of an area of the tongue and/or throat surfacewith the aqueous slurry and; optionally, a second contacting deviceadapted to agitatively and frictionally contact the area of the tonguesurface with the aqueous slurry; optionally, a removal device adapted toremove the contacted contamination and used aqueous slurry from the areaof the tongue surface; and, optionally, a device and/or rinsing agentadapted to remove residual aqueous slurry, components of the liquidportion, finely-divided charcoal and/or contacted contamination from thetongue, throat and other areas of the oral cavity of the patient.

A contained quantity of aqueous slurry or a component thereof refers toa quantity of the same that is in a sealed container. Examples of thelatter include a sealed bottle, vial or packet. Where components areprovided, the liquid portion may be provided as a mixture of water andbiocide, or may be provided as separate components to be mixed. Also,where components are provided, each component may be pre-measured in oneor more containers to allow for ready combination of quantities in oneor more desired ratios. Or, a graduated empty container may be providedfor mixing components in various desired ratios. Devices and rinsingagents, optionally provided in the kit for contacting areas of thetongue and/or throat with the aqueous slurry provided by the kit, and/orremoving material from the oral cavity, include those describedpreviously herein for the disclosed methods of the present invention.

All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S.patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications andnon-patent publications listed in the Application Data Sheet, areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, various modifications may be made without deviating fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is notlimited except as by the appended claims.

1. An aqueous slurry, useful for cleaning the tongue and throat in theoral cavity of a patient, comprising: finely-divided charcoal: water;and a biocide, wherein the water and biocide provide, and are componentsof, a liquid portion of the aqueous slurry, and the aqueous slurry isformed by mixing the finely-divided charcoal with the liquid portion. 2.The aqueous slurry of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the finely-dividedcharcoal to the liquid portion ranges from about 1:5 to about 1:1 byweight.
 3. The aqueous slurry of claim 1 wherein the biocide is selectedfrom chlorine dioxide, cetyl pyridinium, zinc chloride, alcohol,hydrogen peroxide, or a mixture thereof.
 4. The aqueous slurry of claim1 wherein the biocide is selected from alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or amixture thereof.
 5. The aqueous slurry of claim 4 wherein the biocide isalcohol.
 6. The aqueous slurry of claim 5 wherein the alcohol is presentin an amount ranging from about 25% to about 70% by volume of the liquidportion.
 7. The aqueous slurry of claim 6 wherein the alcohol isprovided by a mouthrinse.
 8. The aqueous slurry of claim 7 wherein themouthrinse is selected from Listerine®, Scope®, Plax®, Act®, orCepacol®.
 9. The aqueous slurry of claim 1 wherein the biocide ishydrogen peroxide.
 10. The aqueous slurry of claim 1 wherein the biocideis a mixture of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.
 11. The aqueous slurry ofclaim 1 wherein the finely-divided charcoal is activated charcoalpowder. 12-30. (canceled)